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Monday, 21 January 2019

Countries 1st PLATINUM Rated
School

– CYGNUS WORLD SCHOOL, Vadodra, Gujarat

1.INTRODUCTION:

Cygnus World School at Vadodara for Jan-Priya Trust, Delhi is our country’s 1st PLATINUM rated,
green building, conceptualized by Ar. Prem Nath of Prem Nath &
Associates, having more than 1.8 Lakh Sq ft of school complex spread over 7.5 acres of land; The school has been
planned to cater to all modern requirements of education; Yet the overall
aesthetics of the school structures shall project a ‘Contemporary’
architectural feel – giving it a elegant campus look.

2.DESIGNING:

The exterior façade of the building has been given
a permanent finish with brick tile cladding with polymer base, and flooring in
paver tiles.

Good lighting has been used in the exterior and
interior areas of the building keeping in mind the ambience and décor, not just
good lighting but also good fixtures have been considered for better look &
appearance.

One of the major concerns is the sanitary ware i.e.
urinals, WC, & washbasins etc.; have designed by us keeping the users in
mind.

All the furniture’s are very well designed, and
those furniture’s are ergonomic and
child centric,

3.GREEN PLANNING / FEATURES:

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Each school blocks are North-South oriented and multiple internal courtyards have been
planned to enable building to breath from within;

All
Class Rooms & Library are spaciously planned in a manner, wherein each
of it receives North Light thru the
windows, while the South side is
planned with deep Verandahs / corridors
– which not only cut the glare, but also mitigating
the heat effect of the Vadodara weather;

Large
Landscaped spaces, incl. wide courtyards and central green zone
between blocks – adding further value a large patch of Green/Lawns which is
itself approx. 20% of total land area – adding to a lot of healthy inhibition
of internal spaces;

Rain
Water Harvesting & Sewage
Treatment Plants enabling use of more than 75% water for flushing and
landscaping;

Solar
Panels of approx. 7.5% (60KW) of the total electricity
consumption – enabling substantial power saving and backup;

5.ENERGY SAVING TECHNIQUES:

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Water
Saving Faucets and sensor
controlled urinals too have enables a lot of water saving;

Water
by virtue of STP & Rain Water Harvesting, topped with water saving features
enables a daily saving of 75% to 80%;

Wednesday, 3 January 2018

GABON
FOREST … Sustainably Managed Resource

Boasting the second
highest forestry potential in Africa, Gabon’s forests covers 22.8 million
hectares, i.e. 88% of the country’s land surface. There are three major forest
types: evergreen rainforest in the west characterised by abundance of Okoumé &
Ozigo, the central Gabonese forest covering most of the country with abundance
of species like Azobé & Ayous and semi-deciduous forest with dominance of
Limba, Wenge & Ayous. With a low overall population density and 60% of
population living in urban areas, there is little anthropogenic pressure on
Gabon’s forests. Gabonese Republic (2008) indicated an average annual
deforestation rate of 0.12% i.e. 10,000 ha per year. All forest in Gabon is
owned by the state. The 2001 Forest Code divides forest into two categories
i.e. First Category (13.5 million hectares) include Production PFE managed by
private concessionaires and the protection PFE managed directly by the state.
The Second Category (8.3 million hectares), the non-PFE, known as domaine
rural, includes open access forest for hunting, agriculture, mining and
gathering of NTFPs, sacred forests and community protected area for which
rights are limited to local communities.

Over the past ten years, Gabon has gone through a profound
process of reform affecting the forest and environment. A new forest law has
come into force that emphasizes Sustainable Forest Management (SFM) as the
overall approach in the forestry. Forest Management plans are fully developed
for 3.45 million hectares of forest in concessions and were under preparation
for another 6 million hectares of forest in concessions as in 2011. An
estimated 2.42 million hectares of the natural production PFE is under SFM,
including 1.87 million hectares of forest were certified under the FSC (some of
them also had ISO 14001 and Keurhout certificates) as of June, 2010.

Gabonese Republic is
aiming to turn Gabon into a world leader in certified tropical timber
production through an industrial strategy aimed at sustainably managing timber
stocks and by promoting secondary and tertiary processing.

Forestry is, and will remain, one of the pillars of Gabon’s
economic and social development. The private sector has become a major driver
of industrial forest development and the export of forest products. Gabonese
Republic has introduced a system to institutionalize community forestry as a
way of meeting local needs for timber and other forest products. Gabon has a
low deforestation rate, forests rich in valuable timber species and among the
best prospects for a healthy and sustainable forest industry. Reforestation has
been continuously promoted, and selective thinning and clearing have prevented
the over exploitation. Over 50 firms are engaged in exploitation of Gabon’s
forests. Forest concessions covering about 12 million hectares have been
granted by the Gabonese Republic. The timber industry is already the largest
private sector employer, employing 28% of the working population, and
represents an extremely significant growth potential.

Padouck Coffee Table

Species

Timber Species… the Red Gold from Gabon

Gabon’s forests offers enormous possibilities with a logging
potential of 12.5 million hectares with more than 400 species.Until 2010 i.e.
before ban on export of raw logs, Gabon was the largest exporter of raw wood in
the region, and its sales represent 20% of Africa’s raw wood exports.Gabon’s
reserves of exploitable timber is estimated to upwards of 400 million CBM which
includes 130 million CBM of Okoumé, 15-25 million CBM of Azobé and 10-20
million CBM of Padouk.

Commercial forest harvesting in Gabon began as early as
1892, but only in 1913 was Okoumé, Gabon’s most valuable wood, introduced to
the international market. Gabon supplies 90% of the world’s Okoumé, known
worldwide for the production of plywood.Its attractive appearance means that it
is often used decoratively as the top surface veneer in panelling and furniture
or, in solid form in luxury items such as boxes for cigars or other high value
items (e.g. audio equipment). Physical and mechanical properties: Widely
recognised as one the world’s best materials for rotary cut veneers, Okoumé
timber is easy to work and is as suitable for the manufacturing of furniture as
for interior joinery. Moreover, it is a species of a very even colour, good
bonding performances and good compatibility with finished products.

Hardwood Species like Sapelli, Sipo, Acajou, Andoung,
Gheombi from Gabon are Pinkish Red to Brownish in colour and are similar to
Genuine Mahogany (Swieteniamacrophylla) in terms of colour, appearance and density.
These timber species could very well serve as an alternative for Mahogany as it
is listed in CITES Appendix II. These species are suited for luxury and high
end furniture and joinery. This is the reason for their high demand in Europe
and USA due to its colour perception. They are exported in high volume to
China, Vietnam and Malaysia, as they are the biggest manufacturers and
exporters of furniture to developed countries.

Wenge is the premier dark hardwood from the forests of Gabon
and suitable for contemporary interiors as it blends quite well with glass and
stainless steel. Due to its dark colour, it is well suited for straight/clean
line furniture and is quite popular in Europe.

Gabon supplies 90% of
the world’s Okoumé, known in Europe and America for the production of veneer
& plywood. Its demand is also picking up in Asia especially India and
China.

Iroko, Beli, Tali and Okan species can be considered as
alternative species to provide teak like finish. These species are quite
popular in Asia and Middle East for furniture and joinery. Tali and Okan are
extensively used in furniture manufacturing in Vietnam, mainly for export and
has helped Vietnam to become second largest exporter of furniture after China.
Furniture made out of these species is very popular in Asian and American
markets.

Kevazingo Live Edge

Light colour tropical wood species from Gabon includes
Izombe, Movingui and Bilinga. These species have appearance similar to Merbau /
Kwila and are suitable for furniture as well as joinery and interiors.

Kevazingo (Guibourtia Spp.) is the most expensive and
coveted wood species from the forests of Gabon. Trunk diameter of 150 cm is
quite common for Kevazingo. Live-edge table tops made from it is in high demand
in China because of its natural beauty and its coherence with customs and
beliefs of Chinese community world over.

Padouck is a dark coloured redwood found in Gabon; quite
similar to Rosewood and suitable for outdoor furniture as well as joinery.
Outdoor flooring, decking and garden furniture made out of it is exported to
European markets. It is resistant to damage from weather elements. Padouck is
also very popular in southern part of India due to its red colour and high
density. Door and door frames made from Padouck are very popular in the Asian
markets.

Gabon … change just begun

In last decade, African countries have promoted the idea of
processing of natural resources within their countries itself so as to generate
jobs and give boost to their economy. Following the same ideology, Gabonese
Republic also banned exports of raw logs in 2010. Thereafter, in order to
facilitate the secondary and tertiary processing of timber and other natural
resources within the country, Gabonese Republic has embarked on a journey to
provide amenable ecosystem and infrastructure. In the same pursuit, Gabonese
Republic developed 1126 hectares SEZ at Nkok in partnership with Olam
International, Singapore to provide ready and reliable infrastructure. Gabon
SEZ offers an array fiscal incentives to industrial investors which includes
complete exemption from all taxes (income tax, corporate tax, capital gain,
MAT, VAT, customs, Property Tax), reduced rate of export duty (0-2%) and
permission for 100% repatriation of profits.

Nkok SEZ also has 60,000 square meters of ready to use sheds
as Furniture Manufacturing Cluster to promote manufacturing of finished
products i.e. furniture in Gabon. Shed are provided on rental model in module
of 500 square meters to furniture manufacturers intending to start their unit
in Furniture Manufacturing Cluster. The cluster also offers common facilities
like:

As of now, there are
ten units working from this cluster. The quality of raw material i.e. wood
available and huge variety of wood species found in Gabon is a unique
opportunity for any furniture manufacturing unit. Matured wood of any size, any
length is available in good quantity on sustainable basis. Furniture Units are
starting manufacturing of upscale furniture for customers in Asian, European
and USA markets. Furniture majors like Wolf Mobile [Germany], Artemano [Canada],
Terry [USA], Williams-Sonoma [USA], Habufa [Netherland] etc. have expressed
their interest to buy furniture manufactured from sustainably harvested wood
available in Africa.

Solid wood furniture made from various wood species like
Beli, Tali, Sapeli, Mouvingui, Wenge, Padouck and Kevazingo is of pertinent
interest to many furniture majors.Moreover, major import houses in USA and
Europe have taken a resolution to source minimum 30% of furniture done with SFM
compliant / FSC certified wood by 2020 and this SFM compliant / FSC certified wood
with genuine Traceability and Legality certificates is easily available in
Gabon.

For business
enquiries, please get in touch with team of GSEZ at gsez@olamnet.com

Thursday, 30 November 2017

Cops and robbers make interesting stories. The more fascinating ones are locks and thieves especially when this lock has a hundred year old history. Dindigul’s unique industry is today locked away in the past where the flourishing industry with more than 250 units in its heyday has now dwindled down to just seven.

The locks have fascinating names and each lock has a special characteristic that is a story in itself. If the saavipudi poottu is opened with the wrong key the lock will get jammed and the lock would be rendered useless putting the thief and the owner in despair.

The last generation of Dindigul’s lock makers seems to be locked into gloominess. The reason aptly summed up by Mr. Gani who earns Rs300 to Rs350 a day. He laments “Wages are better in the construction industry but I cannot move out of lock-making.”

Monday, 27 November 2017

Located in the Binhai Cultural District In Tianjin, the five-story library, which was designed by Dutch design firm MVRDV in collaboration with the Tianjin Urban Planning and Design Institute (TUPDI) and has since been dubbed “The Eye of Binhai”, covers 34,000 square metres and can hold up to 1.2 million books. Taking just three years to complete, the library features a reading area on the ground floor, lounge areas in the middle sections and offices, meeting spaces, and computer/audio rooms at the top. We’re not sure how much studying we’d get done though – we’d be far too busy marveling at the awesome architecture!

Wednesday, 22 November 2017

After playing host to the who’s who of Mumbai’s banking
corporates, including ICICI Bank, Bank of Baroda, Bank of India, IDFC, Standard
Chartered, HSBC, Deutsche Bank and Citibank, the BKC complex welcomed the
latest entrant – Kotak Bank.

The office with an area of about 1.5 lakh square feet,
houses about 1,500 Kotak Bank employees. The building that came up in early
2000 was constructed by Shapoorji Pallonji and designed by Hafeez Contractor.

Sunday, 2 April 2017

KiTEC R & D Unit Recognition

About the Certification:
The Department of Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR), Government of
India, issued the Certificate of Registration on TU/IV-R&D/4138/2016 w. e.
f. 21 March 2017 recognizing KiTEC R & D arm as “In House R & D Unit”.
The certificate is valid from 21 March 2017 to 31 March 2019 meaning three
financial years. The Department of
Scientific and Industrial Research (DSIR) is a part of the Ministry of Science
and Technology, which was announced through a Presidential Notification, dated
January 4, 1985. It has a mandate to carry out the activities relating to
indigenous technology promotion, development, utilization and transfer.

Benefit to Stakeholders:
Innovation is a continuous process and a major growth driver for KiTEC since
inception. With this recognition our “Customers” will be more inclined to put
their faith is us as we would be able to provide them solutions. This will also
improve our acceptance in Government purchases.

The pride created as Strong players in the
field of Composite Piping system will make our “Employees” and “Marketing
Associates” happy and “Suppliers” reassured.

Benefits
to KiTEC: A Certified Research Institution gives a number of advantages to
the Company. Primarily, it is a shot in the arm for continuous innovation
efforts. However, the recognition also enables the Company to avail of a number
of fiscal incentives, the primary one being the ability to claim Weighted
Deduction of the company’s total R&D expenditure subject to approval from
Income tax department. Excise & Custom Duty Exemptions for the products patented by the company as
per Govt. Notification No24 /2007 & 16 /2007 with the right terms &
Conditions. The Company is in the process of filing various Product Patents.
This journey of innovation will continue with the new “In House R & C
Centre” status to the companies R&D laboratory.

KiTEC’s Efforts to reach this Milestone: KiTEC’s R & D team is active right from the inception as the
new concept of piping needed new jointing concepts. Since then the company has
been constantly on its toes to improve the jointing techniques and increase the
size range as well incorporate new polymers and metals in composite pipe.

Tuesday, 21 March 2017

Brinda has delivered
analytical and critical talks as well as presented papers in India and abroad
on her work and other related subjects. She has given lectures in the USA, UK,
Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India. Her work has been exhibited in the
USA, UK and Japan. She has served as an examiner and jury member in India and
Abroad. Some of her selected works are given below:

ZENSAR
SOFTWARE TECHNOLOGIES CAMPUS – PUNE

It is a Greenfield project
of 11 acres. It has been designed for 2000 Engineers with all supporting buildings
such as the corporate block, cafeteria and creational facilities. The concept of this project consisted of
individual buildings being linked together through landscaping. The landscape
consisted of stonewalls, sunken courtyards, an open-air amphitheatre, water
bodies and greenery. In this campus the individual buildings are linked
together through a core idea: a stone wall that meanders through the
landscaping. She worked on a concept of simplicity and serenity, harmony and
balance.

TCS
HOUSE – MUMBAI

To restore this Grade II
Heritage building, that now serves as the global headquarters of software major
Tata Consultancy Services was complex and one of the first restoration projects
of its kind in Mumbai. The unique feature of the process was that, the external
stone wall or shell of the building was left standing while the entire unstable
inside was gutted. A modern office interior with state-of-the-art technology
was created inside the shell that stood intact. The challenge of restoring this
structure was further compounded by various other factors such as working on a
site located in Fort, in the heart of Mumbai's commercial district and fighting
the torrential monsoon rain with the stone walls propped and

the high ground water table
which required the constant use of dewatering pumps to enable work to proceed.
The metamorphosis that commenced in October 2005 concluded in June 2007 and
demonstrates how historic buildings need not be razed to the ground for reconstruction
even if they are damaged by fire or other disasters.

Ar Brinda Somaya

Brinda Somaya is an architect and urban conservationist.
Upon completion of her Bachelor of Architecture from Mumbai University and her
Master of Arts from Smith College in Northampton, MA, USA, she started her firm
Somaya and Kalappa Consultants in 1978 in Mumbai, India.

In May 2012 she was
the recipient of an Honorary Doctorate from her alma mater, Smith College. In
2014 she was awarded the Indian Institute of Architects – Baburao Mhatre Gold
Medal for Lifetime Achievement. In 2015 she was honoured as Distinguished
Professor by the Indian Education Society’s College of Architecture (IES),
Mumbai.

Over three decades she has merged architecture, conservation
and social equity in projects ranging from institutional campuses and
rehabilitation of an earthquake-torn village to the restoration of an 18th
century Cathedral, showing that progress and history need not be atODDS . Her
philosophy: ‘the Architect’s role is that of guardian – hers is the conscience
of the built and un-built environment.’